Stablecoin 101

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Corey Cooper from Circle’s Developer Relations team unpacks what stablecoins are, why they exist, and how they function in the broader crypto ecosystem. He explains that while cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have transformed digital finance, their price volatility makes them impractical for everyday use or real-world applications. Stablecoins were created to address this challenge by maintaining a stable value, often pegged to traditional assets like fiat currencies. Corey explores the three main models of stablecoins — fiat-backed, crypto-backed, and algorithmic — explaining how each is structured to preserve price stability in different ways. He also highlights how developers can build with stablecoins to enable both financial and everyday use cases, from global payments to programmable money systems. By the end of the episode, listeners will understand the fundamentals of stablecoin design, the reasons behind their growing importance, and the opportunities they unlock for developers building the next generation of financial applications.

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Corey Cooper from the Developer Relations team explains why stablecoins are more than just digital money. Stablecoins are becoming the financial infrastructure of the internet, similar to how HTTP and TCP/IP power applications today. With real-time, global, and programmable transactions, they enable developers to build financial applications that traditional rails can’t support. 🔎 What you’ll learn: Why stablecoins function as infrastructure, and not just a digital asset Use cases like payroll, cross-border remittances, and escrow contracts How developers can integrate stablecoins into apps with wallets, APIs, and bridges Get started with Circle’s Developer Services by creating a Developer Account and check out the special offer below.

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Elton Tay from the Developer Relations team explains how USDC works on Ethereum as an ERC-20 token, the core functions developers use, and the production features that make USDC reliable. 🔎 What you’ll learn: - What the ERC-20 token standard is - The core functions (approve, transferFrom, transfer, balanceOf) and how developers use them - How USDC is implemented in production

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Elton Tay from the Developer Relations team breaks down how USDC works onchain across multiple blockchains. 🔎 What you’ll learn: - How USDC is natively issued across blockchains - The role of token standards like ERC-20, SPL and ASA - The built-in rules that define how USDC behaves onchain

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Elton Tay from the Developer Relations team shows you how to send your first USDC transaction in code on Ethereum Sepolia using React, TypeScript, and Viem. 🔎 What you’ll learn: - Set up a React + TypeScript project with Vite and Viem - Connect your wallet with MetaMask - Import the USDC ERC-20 contract on Ethereum Sepolia - Encode and send a USDC transfer transaction - Wait for confirmation and view the receipt in your app (and on Etherscan)

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Corey Cooper from the Developer Relations team explains what USDC is and why it matters for developers. 🔎 What you’ll learn: - How USDC bridges the gap between dollars and cryptocurrency - The minting and redeeming process of USDC - How reserve management practices provide transparency into the composition of the USDC reserve - Why USDC is programmable and serves as a developer primitive for money movement

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Corey Cooper from the Developer Relations team explains how blockchain and AI work hand in hand to unlock new use cases for programmable money. What you’ll learn: - Why blockchain is uniquely suited as a trust and settlement layer for AI - A demo of an AI agent making autonomous USDC micro-payments for API access - Emerging agent-to-agent payment models powered by stablecoins

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Elton Tay from the Developer Relations team introduces Circle Wallets, the gateway to building secure, flexible wallet experiences with USDC. What you’ll learn: - Circle Wallet models: developer-controlled, user-controlled & modular - How Circle Wallets power storing, sending, and receiving USDC - The types of experiences each model can support

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Elton Tay from the Developer Relations team shows you how to create, fund, and transfer USDC using Circle Developer-Controlled Wallets. What you’ll learn: - Set up your project and install the Circle Developer-Controlled Wallets SDK - Generate and register an Entity Secret for secure signing - Create a Wallet Set and deploy smart contract wallets on Ethereum Sepolia - Fund wallets with Sepolia ETH and USDC using Circle’s faucet - Send a USDC transaction from one wallet to another and confirm it onchain

Imagine if every business deal could execute itself — near-instantly and securely — the moment both sides meet their commitments. That’s what happens when you combine USDC and smart contracts. In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji (@bleso_a) breaks down how onchain escrow works — showing how businesses and partners can use USDC to move money with trust, speed, and automation. 💡 You’ll learn: - How smart contracts enable real-world business payments. - Why USDC is programmable money for the internet economy. - How onchain automation builds trust without middlemen or delays. - No banks. No chargebacks. Just trust through code.

How do you actually integrate USDC into an application that solves a real-world business problem? In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji(bleso_a) walks through how to build a USDC-powered escrow smart contract on Ethereum using Solidity — showing how code can be used to move money securely between businesses, partners, and users. 💡 You’ll learn: - Build a USDC escrow agent with Solidity & AI - Automate trust through deposit, release & revert functions - Understand why USDC is the building block for real-world onchain payments - From concept to code — see how developers bring business payments to life with USDC.

What if money could move across blockchains as easily as sending an email? That’s the power of USDC interoperability — and in this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji (@bleso_a) breaks down how it works through a story-driven example featuring Alice, Bob, and a crosschain transfer powered by CCTP 💡 You’ll learn: - What interoperability really means in the world of USDC - How CCTP burns, verifies, and mints USDC across different blockchains - Why this matters for developers building wallets, apps, and DeFi protocols - This is how USDC connects blockchain ecosystems — securely, and seamlessly.

How fast can you move USDC across blockchains? With CCTP Fast Transfer, crosschain USDC transfers that once took minutes now complete in seconds. In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji explains how Circle’s latest upgrade makes “faster-than-finality” transfers possible — safely and securely. 💡 You’ll learn: - How CCTP Fast Transfer speeds up crosschain USDC movement - The role of Fast Transfer Allowance in helping to protect security and collateral - How developers can use Hooks to trigger automated onchain actions - Why this upgrade changes the experience of using USDC across ecosystems - Faster. Safer. This is what interoperability looks like in motion.

How do you actually move USDC across blockchains in code? In this hands-on episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji walks through a real example of transferring USDC between testnets using CCTP (Cross Chain Transfer Protocol) — the infrastructure that powers seamless, secure, and fast onchain movement. You’ll learn: - How to set up your environment and connect to multiple chains - How USDC is burned, attested to, and minted using CCTP - How developers can implement this workflow in their own apps By the end, you’ll see how easy it is to integrate crosschain USDC transfers — and why CCTP is redefining interoperability for developers.

What if your USDC balance wasn’t tied to a single chain — but chain-abstracted and instantly available across supported chains at any time? That’s the value proposition of Circle Gateway. In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji breaks down how Gateway lets developers and users hold a single, unified USDC balance that can be accessed instantly across supported blockchains — without the need to bridge or swap. You’ll learn: - How Circle Gateway removes liquidity fragmentation across chains - Why it creates a smoother experience for users and businesses - How developers can build apps that just work — instantly, on any supported chain This is what it means to make money onchain feel as seamless as the internet itself.

What if your USDC balance wasn’t tied to a single chain — but instantly available across supported blockchains, no bridging, no waiting. That’s the promise of Circle Gateway. In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji breaks down how Gateway works behind the scenes — connecting a network of smart contracts and offchain services to unify USDC liquidity across supported chains. You’ll learn: - How Gateway’s wallet and minter contracts power unified balances - How the attestation system keeps funds secure and consistent - Why this design makes onchain payments faster and simpler for everyone - This is how USDC becomes chain-abstracted money for the internet economy.

Both CCTP and Gateway move USDC across supported blockchains — but they do so in a different manner and solve different problems. In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji explains the key differences and helps developers and businesses understand which tool fits their needs. You’ll learn: - How CCTP powers secure, point-to-point USDC transfers - Why Gateway enables instant, unified balances across chains - How both products work together for seamless onchain liquidity Whether you’re moving funds between chains or building chain-abstracted apps, this episode makes it simple to choose a solution.

Have you ever tried to send USDC onchain and realized you needed another token just to cover gas? That friction stops users before they even start. In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji breaks down how Circle Paymaster lets users pay network gas fees directly with USDC, making onchain payments simple, intuitive, and accessible. You’ll learn: - Why gas fees are a major user experience challenge - How Circle Paymaster lets you pay gas with USDC - How this improves adoption and accessibility for onchain apps - Use USDC to send USDC — no friction.

Gas shouldn’t get in the way of great user experiences. In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Blessing Adesiji breaks down how Circle Paymaster works — the onchain service that lets users pay gas fees with USDC instead of native tokens. Here’s what you’ll learn: - How Paymaster is built on account abstraction (ERC-4337) - How it makes transactions faster and simpler for users - Why this matters for developers building real-world onchain apps It’s a simple idea that removes one of the biggest barriers to onchain adoption — users can simply use USDC to send USDC, without ever worrying about gas.

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Elton Tay from the Developer Relations team introduces Circle Wallets, the gateway to building secure, flexible wallet experiences with USDC. 🔎 What you’ll learn: - Circle Wallet models: developer-controlled, user-controlled & modular - How Circle Wallets power storing, sending, and receiving USDC - The types of experiences each model can support

In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Elton Tay from the Developer Relations team shows you how to create, fund, and transfer USDC using Circle Developer-Controlled Wallets. What you’ll learn: - Set up your project and install the Circle Developer-Controlled Wallets SDK - Generate and register an Entity Secret for secure signing - Create a Wallet Set and deploy smart contract wallets on Ethereum Sepolia - Fund wallets with Sepolia ETH and USDC using Circle’s faucet - Send a USDC transaction from one wallet to another and confirm it onchain

## Stablecoin 101: Blockchain + AI for Programmable Money ### Summary In this episode of Stablecoin 101, Corey Cooper from the Developer Relations team explains how blockchain and AI work hand in hand to unlock new use cases for programmable money. ### Key Takeaways - Why blockchain is uniquely suited as a trust and settlement layer for AI - A demo of an AI agent making autonomous USDC micro-payments for API access - Emerging agent-to-agent payment models powered by stablecoins ### Resources Mentioned - [USDC Overview](https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/what-is-usdc#what-is-usdc) - [Start Building with AI](https://developers.circle.com/ai/chatbot)